Episode 3-58
Summary In another flashback, about ten million years after the destruction of the original human race and the creation of the new one, Menaka is seen attempting to convince an unaffected Visnu that Gandharva should be spared. She notes that all that is important to his young self are his own emotions, and has no attachment to life or fear of death, making pointing out that he must pay his sins meaningless to Gandharva. Visnu, undeterred, remarks that this was a good thing, and now they only had to wait for Gandharva to finally pay the price of his sins. Visnu then continues to say that Gandharva's actions do not matter; what truly matters is Menaka's survival, and in the Universe's best possible future, she would have become the king of the Gandharva clan. Paradisial Flare would certainly kill Gandharva one day, so all Menaka would have to do is switch to her male form, therefore becoming the strongest and the king of the Gandharvas. According to Visnu, Gandharva 'stealing' Menaka's name was never supposed to have happened, but they would anyhow correct thing as they went, with Menaka becoming the king with her 'power of peace.' If Menaka continued in such a manner and became the first nastika to reach enlightenment, she would help the gods defeat Kali. Menaka interjects and asks if the sacrifices of so many to keep the universe alive did not affect Visnu at all. Visnu quickly brushes this aside, stating to a disheartened Menaka that there is no part more important than the whole. Visnu, now leaving, states that he finds her obsessing trivial, but still thinks she is the most suited for the role of bringing peace to the universe. Menaka is left alone to weep. After much time passes, 'Visnu' approaches Menaka, observing her endless tears. As Menaka looks on in shock, 'Visnu' takes back his original plan, and instead offers Menaka a new one; he would give Menaka the power to convince Gandharva, although it would take lots of time. Menaka quickly agrees, stating that she would do anything to prevent sacrifice and be able to change him. 'Visnu' points out that Gandharva could potentially be killed by Paradisial Flare before she has fully convinced him, which would be problematic since Menaka cared not only for the sacrificed humans but Gandharva himself. He then decides that until Gandharav is completely reformed, Menaka would bear the weight of Gandharva's sins. Menaka asks if such a thing is true, which 'Visnu' confirms, although it ruins the future he had envisioned. Menaka is completely willing to go with this new plan, but 'Visnu' still asks the determining question- if she was willing to give up her future as the price for this new deal. Menaka informs the other gods about the confirmed change of plans, but to her surprise, the primeval gods knew nothing about this plan. They then tell her that it was not Visnu that she had met, but Kali. Shiva and Visnu reprimand a dumbfounded Menaka, asking her how she could not differentiate between the two. Brahma grudgingly admits that it couldn't be helped- Manaka and Kali had made an unbreakable deal. The original plan was no longer valid; now Menaka had to die instead of Gandharva. When Shiva questions if she regretted her decision, Menaka replies that she does not, but Shiva interrupts her and tells her that she will die before completely convincing Gandharva. Since Kali had taken her remaining time, Menaka could only seek to reform Gandharva for a set amount of time until death. The task of changing Gandharva would fall onto Menaka's future child. Brahma then tells Menaka that this universe did not matter much to her and Shiva, since they could always create a new one. It was only Visnu who cared. Since Menaka had essentially turned her back on Visnu for Kali, she would have to repent for the rest of her life. When Menaka finishes telling Agni what had happened, he is frustrated that Menaka was given this role, and is infuriated that she must take all the blame for Kali and Gandharva's actions. Menaka does not mind this, and simply tells Agni to remember what she said even after she died; that she trusted him, who had not abandoned his compassion. It is then shown that Menaka passes away in D675, her clan surrounding her in deep mourning. After death, Menaka finds herself in an unknown area, unable to remember anything about who she was and why she was there. The only thing she could recollect was the name, "Gandharva," though she could not recollect why. Menaka is then approached by Kali, who informs her of the deal they had made which Menaka had forgotten. Confused, Menaka asked what this meant. Kali replied that she would give her a job that only the most paradoxical of souls could perform- becoming the parent of Kali's son. Menaka is then transformed into a new being, Taraka. 3-058 2nd in line.png|male Menaka 3-058 Vish and Shiva.png|tall primeval 3-058 how can you blame yourself.png|can't blame yourself 3-058 Kali collects on her deal.png|time to cash in Currygom's comment God Shiva briefly appeared in Episode 99, where he was sitting on a rock. If he stood up, he wouldn't fit in the scene with the other primeval gods... Afterword The first and last appearance of the Gandharva clan's #2 Menaka's male form. I drew it just this once. The creators Shiva has appeared very rarely, but this is the first time we hear him speak, right? The reason why I give Shiva little weight among the four primeval gods is beause his character does not appear in the main storyline. If your speculations about the story involve Shiva, don't bother. It's enough for him to appear in flashbacks such as this one. He will not appear in the present timeline!! What do you mean—the only one with whom I'm able to talk about this is going to die? Menaka is a nastika, but from Agni's point of view, she's more relatable than his fellow gods. In the previous episode, he was worried that another nastika would attack her... Urvasi: ... There are those who think that when a nastika dies, there's no body left behind, but that's not the case when we see Yaksha's bones floating around, right? They have a body much like humans do, unless someone intentionally burns it or disposes of it... Notes * Menaka's states, "It's all my fault for failing to understand the will of Visnu, and allowing myself to be tempted by Kali." Some fans find this line metaphorical to God and Satan. References